Tuna is a very robust fish, so it cooks beautifully on a barbecue; it retains flavor and moisture and the slight smoke works so well with the oiliness of the fish. The chermoula paste is a spicy, lemony number that adds real zing—it will keep well in your fridge for a few days, so if there is any left over or you are inclined to double the amount you make, it will work well in a tinned tuna salad or in a sandwich with salted or cured beef.
Serve the shish with baked potatoes for a hearty meal.
Tuna shish with chermoula and preserved lemons from “Chasing Smoke: Cooking Over Fire Around the Levant” by Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich (Photo: Patricia Niven)
Tuna Shish With Chermoula and Preserved Lemons
Makes 4 skewers (allow 2 per person for a meal)
Ingredients
- 2 good-quality thick tuna steaks (about 400 grams/14 ounces in total)
- Drizzle of olive oil, for brushing
- Flaky sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Juice of half a lemon
- For the chermoula:
- 2 preserved lemons, skin only (pulp and seeds removed)
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ red chilli
- 1 bunch coriander, top part only
- ½ bunch parsley, leaves picked
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- About 50 milliliters/1¾ ounces olive oil
Directions
- We like to make this chermoula by hand, chopping everything until very fine, then mixing it with the oil in a small bowl. You could use a pestle and mortar instead to pound the ingredients, in which case add the oil at the end once everything else is well-combined.
- Cut each tuna steak into four large cubes and thread two on each skewer. Brush well with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place on a very hot grill to cook and char nice lines. Turn the skewers after a minute and repeat twice more to char the tuna cubes for a minute on each side. We rather like the interior a little raw, but if you don’t, simply cook for 30 seconds more on each side. Remove from the grill, douse with the lemon juice, then top with the chermoula.
- To cook without a grill: Use a lightly oiled, preheated griddle pan on your stove and cook just as you would on the fire. Or you could simply use a non-stick frying pan.
(Courtesy Rizzoli)
